Category Archives: Residential Signs

Post navigation

We were requested to design, produce, and deliver a community entrance sign for one of our many national property management companies.

This particular property, Lakeview Terrace, had no branding. We created this custom sign monument design based on the architecture of the housing in the development:

Lakeview Terrace Custom Sign Monument Design

Once approved, we created the architectural sign structure with embossed graphics. As with all of our products, this was produced as a cost-effective solution to be installed with a (2) person crew in under (2) hours. Here is a picture of the sign monument before it left our docks:

Lakeview Terrace Custom Sign Monument Before Shipping

While none off our sign monument products require a concrete footer, this customer had issues with visibility from traffic coming both ways. They opted to construct a traditional brick & mortar base for our sign monument to rest upon.

Here is a picture of Lakeview Terrace residential community entrance sign monument installed:

Lakeview Terrace Neighborhood Custom Sign Monument Installed

Contact our Sales Team to get your free initial consultation. We look forward to working with you.

This article will address most considerations before anyone purchases a new neighborhood (or even commercial development) main entrance sign.

We are often challenged with both commercial and residential property projects where the property developer or construction crew did not take into account the main entrance sign. It’s the last item on a long list, but in many ways one of the most important as the main identity sign brands the development. Image is everything, and the main entrance sign defines how any retail or residential community looks in the community. This affects property resell values, rental or lease pricing – even the end-of-game closing price on any property.

Case One: Recycle Existing Signage

You have an existing sign marquee that was thrown together or is outdated. Example of a residential community entrance sign:

Outdated Neighborhood Entrance Sign Monument

This sign had a wooden sandblasted sign (see this article about the issues with wooden signs), and the community felt it need an overhaul. Our solution was to update the structure with stucco top caps on the columns, and a new 3-D embossed sign plaque to replace the wood sign panel which had already deteriorated after only a few years. This was a cost effective solution that the HOA members easily installed themselves to save additional costs. Here is the final result of this re-vamped neighborhood entrance sign:

Updated Neighborhood Entrance Sign Monument

Case Two: New Neighborhood Signage

This customer had outdated wooden signs leading into their 55+ community. This coastal community needs a sign made in materials that not only withstand hurricane conditions, but also can withstand the daily abuse of light winds scraping sand across the material surfaces. Here is what this neighborhood entrance sign had:

Outdated Coastal Neighborhood Entrance Sign In Wood

And here is our solution – a complete replacement. Our product not only looks great, but will still look great for decades to come, even in the harsh environment.

Updated Coastal Neighborhood Entrance Sign

Case Three: Start From Scratch

Do not fear approaching your neighborhood entrance sign project if you have nothing there to start. In most cases, this is the best case scenario for costs and longevity. If you will take the time to walk the property and take pictures on your cell phone of the housing architecture, any masonry elements you like, etc., you will be arming our design team with the tools necessary to design a neighborhood entrance sign monument that not only matches the development, but also looks as if it was constructed at the same time as the development.

Neighborhood Business Sign Match Existing Architecture

We are able to match the exact stucco colors, dimensions of the existing building architectural effects, and add any graphics you like. This project had an electronic LED message board!

In conclusion, the costs of a neighborhood entrance sign are dependent on several factors. Our team will take into consideration what you have on site, what you want to accomplish, and will provide the BEST cost-effective solution available in the sign industry.

Contact our Sales Team with your project info for a proposal. We’ll make you look your BEST.

So you are in the market for an outdoor sign for your business, church, or other signage and would like the ability to update a message or promotion on a regular basis. What are your options?

There are numerous signage solutions to fit any need. As with any project, the solution is based on budget and what you are trying to achieve. This article will illustrate the various changeable sign solutions available in the sign industry, as well as their pros & cons.

The first thing to consider before purchasing a permanent outdoor sign is the ‘permanent’ factor. If you own the property, are you considering selling in the future? If so, you will want a permanent sign structure with the ability to change the graphics only, without damaging the sign monument structure. Our custom sign monuments can be designed with the sign panels as separate panels that are not only attached upon delivery (designed to your immediate graphic needs), but include the ability to remove and replace the panel without reinventing the project. In multi-tenant properties such as retail commercial business parks, we can integrate tenant plaques that are not only removable but flippable – meaning the same tenant slot uses the same plaque and new graphics are applied on the back side. In all cases, our signage has integrated stainless hardware that does not rust or leave corrosive drips on the graphics surface. We take into consideration spacial issues, meaning all equal square footage tenant leases get equal advertising space, the ‘anchor’ businesses with larger retail square footage get larger advertising space. While all tenants have different number of characters in their business names, they all need to have a unified appearance of consistency. Example:

Gross and Company Changeable Tenant Panels

The next changeable sign solution is a reader board with individual changeable letters. These are common for restaurants wishing to promote daily specials, churches wishing to share messages in the community, and any businesses wanting to advertise on the fly. Reader boards are separate panels (typically in aluminum) that attach to the front entrance sign monument, marquee or facade. Reader boards have horizontal tracks to accept individual letters so you can write what you like, and at your convenience. Here is what a reader board looks like:

Reader Board On Sign Monument

And all of our reader board sign solutions come with a box of mix-n-match changeable letters. We offer different sizes, colors, and fonts. They come with more vowels and common letters than the letter ‘Z’ for example. You’ll have plenty of what you need:

Changeable Reader Board Letters

The last and best example of changeable signage is the electronic LED message boards. These are literally commercial grade outdoor TV screens that you program by computer. All of our electronic LED panels come with a new laptop computer, pre-programmed for wi-fi access, controller software (much like using Microsoft Powerpoint), training, and toll-free 24-7 tech support.

LED message boards are an initial investment, but pay for themselves in short time. LEDs offer the ability for any font, color, picture, image, animation – including all movie media formats such as QuickTime and Windows Media Files. Electronic LED message boards are sold by ‘pitch’ – meaning resolution. We take into account the distance from traffic and traffic speed to get the resolution you need for the right costs. Imagine being able to advertise in full color with animation!

Full-Color LED Cabinets on City Sign Monument

Contact our Sales Team with any questions about our changeable sign solutions.

It’s common sense – wood is a product of nature and has no predictable longevity. When considering different areas have different climates that effect the expansion and contraction of natural wood, why would you want wood as the material for your expensive sign? Ask yourself – how often does the exterior of a wood faced house last before requiring repainting?

It is misleading to tell people that there is ANY commercial grade primer and top-coat finish, in any paint industry from local paint franchises to commercial grade sign enamels, that will prevent or protect wood from deteriorating from expansion and contraction. It’s simply a matter of time before it fails.

A CNC v-groove routed wood sign with the finish quickly failing.

While you may receive a wood sign that is primed and painted, keep in mind that the finishing system is compromised when you screw through it to mount to posts or your facade, thereby exposing the material to the elements.

There are other products that sign shops offer to reduce the wood failure. While these are cost-effective for the sign producer, they still fail. MDO (marine grade plywood) is a common wood product offered in commercial franchise sign shops. MDO is basically plywood. MDO does offer structural strength of cross-grain laminate layers like typical plywood, but instead of wood glue, MDO uses a fiberglass-style resin. Again, this wood product will fail in a matter of a few years.

Another wood substitute is High Density Urethane, or HDU. HDU is a synthetic wood product and is available in different densities and thicknesses. A typical HDU application is on a front entrance monument in brick masonry at 1.5″ thick and 15 pound (per cubic foot) density. HDU can be CNC routed or sandblasted in a variety of dimensional effects. HDU does not expand or contract, so the primer and top-coat finishes will typically last longer. HDU is a great product solution for exterior commercial grade signage. There is however an issue… HDU being a synthetic material has no natural grain structure for strength but rather is an open-cell foam product. This means it’s easy to break. A 2″ thick HDU sign between posts can be snapped in half easily.

The solution for signage substrate is a combination of more current technologies and finishes. Our Best Sign Monuments are made to order, not stock sheets of material pulled off a shelf. This means if you want a sign that will last the test of time, our product can be made (for example) to mount between posts at any thickness required. We can easily produce an 8″ thick sign on 12″ diameter posts that will not expand, contract, or snap on impact. Or better yet, for stand-alone solutions, a sign monument as an architectural form:

Fior more information on how our product is made, visit the how they are made section of our web site. To request a free quote on your next sign project, complete our online contact form with as many details as you can provide. Be sure to include a picture of the intended sign location, or even a rough sketch of what you have in mind with your quote request.

Our experienced sales team and award winning designers will be certain to come up with a cost effective solution that will impress, and protect your long-term investment.

Chateau Elan Estates is a huge resort and golf community in Georgia. This property has multiple entrances to the residential areas and gold courses.

Best Sign Monuments was asked to produce 3-D embossed shields with the Chateau Elan logo as well as the names of each entrance. After an extensive tour of the 3,000+ acre development, we identified all points of entry and intersections.

Our installation team took specific measurements of each sign location, which were all unique. This information was transferred to our design team who produced mechanicals for perfect fits.

The signs had to match the one existing main entrance that was made way back in the past when the property was originally developed. We recognized the materials to be HDU (high density urethane) and the graphic style was a computer (CNC) routed embossed style. Our sales team matched the color perfect on site, and the project was completed with 100% accuracy in under (2) weeks.

We are frequently asked to re-vamp and modernize existing sign monuments. To save costs, we recycle as much of the existing structure as possible.

Choice of font (typeface) is a great way to bring and outdated sign monument structure into the present. Color combinations and finishes can make a sign look like a million bucks. Thus example for Rutherford Glen replaced the black marble tiles with a stucco surface. We then pin-mounted 1″ thick letters finished in brushed aluminum enamel so that they floated above the curved surface 1/4″. This installation method creates a drop shadow behind each character, making the text visually ‘pop.’ The slight contrast between the stucco texture (flat finish) with the metallic silver (high gloss finish) truly reflects the high-end image for this luxury community.

Here are before and after pictures of the Rutherford Glen entrance sign monument:

Beehive is a national assisted living franchise with numerous locations. The entrances to these facilities typically have real brick and mortar block stone monument column marquees with suspended embossed sign panels under wooden post arms that welcoming incoming traffic.

There is an ongoing issue with sign monuments and liability for businesses (and all other entrance-style sign monuments including city municipalities). The monument owner may be liable for driver injury and vehicle damages incurred by vehicle impact, especially in fatal incidents. So if an elderly driver hits your sign and is injured – the facility owner may be liable.

There is a simple solution to this situation which is referred to as a “break away” style sign monument. This means on impact, the monument itself will literally break off the ground and move out of the way, causing minimal vehicle damage and preventing fatal injury.

All of our sign monuments are a break away solution, and in our company history there have yet to be any injuries on impact.

And here is our break away style sign monument column in faux masonry before it left our shipping docks:

Beehive Break Away Faux Block Stone Sign Column Monument

As you can see the faux masonry is a fantastic match to the real stone and mortar. We attached the embossed sign panels we fabricated in a permanent method (versus hanging from chain) to prevent theft or wind damage.

This customer wanted a unique entrance sign monument for their senior living community. Everyone on their Board wanted something different, so we mixed them all in a design that complements the architecture of the buildings.

The base is faux rock we produced from photography of stones that are native to the area. This board member we to a local paint store and pulled color swatches of the stone. After four colors were matched, the color name and color code was emailed to us for our artists to match in production.

Another board member wanted decorative tiles embedded in the side columns. We could have matched the design, but the customer was particular about them being an exact match to the entrance gate. The solution was simple – several of the times were shipped to us and we installed them in recessed areas as shown. We sealed the grout and it’s all good to go!

Another board member wanted a very script typeface, so our design dean developed a new logo using a southwestern color pallet. Once completed, we exported the logo for their use on the community newsletter and all print collateral. Some of our designers have vast experience in commercial printing, other on our team are fluent in web and interactive media. In any case, we are here to help!

We are your one stop graphics shop for all hand-carved business, commercial, and residential signage. Your sign is the first thing anyone sees when visiting your establishment. Make sure you make the right first impression with one of our quality hand carved dimensional sign products.

Best Sign Monuments is the sign industry leader in quality hand-carved signage solutions to fit your every need. Hand crafted dimensional signs and displays by the signage experts. Best Sign Monuments has a solution for you.

Hand-Carved Signs & Displays

We are a truly unique graphic design house in that all production stages of our unique dimensional hand-carved signs are performed in-house. Our business houses master sign artists in every area of hand-carved sign design and fabrication. Award winning graphic designers take or create your identity and offer suggestions that will minimize costs and maximize complements.

Best Sign Monuments stocks an endless supply of sign materials, and is always up to date with the latest sign industry technologies. From fabrication to finishing, shipping to storage and fulfillment… we have your every need, and all under one roof.

OUR MISSION >

We thank you for your interest in our custom carved signage products. Best Sign Monuments continues to be the sign industry leader in all dimensional style sign solutions. No matter what your need, we have you covered… and will make you look fantastic!